Category: Review

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Arts & Life Review Television

“Breaking Bad” captivates viewers once again

Henry Doherty

Contributing writer

“Breaking Bad” never disappoints. This week’s episode, “Granite State,” started out with Jesse being forced to cook by Todd’s Uncle Jack, even though they promised Walt they would kill him. With Hank dead, Skyler, Flynn, and Marie are all a little scared and angry. Skyler just got her daughter back from Walt, and Walt had just gotten into the van which we learned is how to get off the grid for good.

The episode begins with Saul Goodman walking out of the van. We can see that this is after Walt got in the van (we see Walt in a cramped dorm-style room figuring out his next plan). Saul is forced to share a room with Walt, which leads to a heated argument between the two about what the future holds. Luckily for Saul, he holds his ground and refuses to help Walt. This is naturally the smart choice, considering whatever plan Walt comes up with will probably get Saul killed. As sad as it is, I feel like this was our goodbye to Saul Goodman, unless Breaking Bad is yet again tricking us.

“Breaking Bad” wouldn’t be what it is if they didn’t think outside the box. This late in the series, Vince Gilligan is developing a new love interest between Todd and Lydia. We start to see Todd’s interest in the previous episode “Ozymandias,” but now we see him protecting her at all costs, exhibited by him breaking into Skyler’s home to make sure she does not mention Lydia to the cops. This could have been pretty stupid considering Skyler probably forgot about Lydia at this point. Now it’s on her mind, and something could slip to the DEA considering the pressure they are putting on her.

Even though Jesse ratted Todd out, Todd made sure Jesse lived just so he could cook with him and impress Lydia. When Todd and Lydia met in the restaurant, Lydia was coming to tell him that she’s out. But when Todd mentioned that the last batch was 92 percent and blue, she got interested. I honestly have no idea where Gilligan plans on taking this story line. All I’ll say is that I will be extremely surprised if Todd and Lydia both survive this next episode.

For Jesse, he is captured and being forced to cook. He takes advantage of Todd’s generous mood and gets the top of his cage left open to the stars. Thinking ahead, he stole the picture of Andrea and Brock that had a paper clip attached to it, and used that to escape the handcuffs. Unfortunately, he doesn’t escape. Being as evil as they are, Todd says they will threaten Brock if he tries to do that again. To prove to him that they are serious, Todd kills Brock’s mom, Andrea, right in front of Jesse. Poor Jesse can’t catch a break. First Jane, now Andrea. It’s unfortunate to see a character we love suffer this much.

For Walt, the van driver drops him off at a log cabin in snowy New Hampshire in the middle of nowhere, secluded from all communication and the real world. There is a town a few miles away, but Walt made a deal with the van driver that Walt would get food and supplies delivered by the van driver once a month if he doesn’t go into the town. For the first time, Walt actually listened to him. Even though he went to the gate shortly after the van left, he stopped and walked back inside.

The next scene is slightly eerie. Walt is more rugged looking, after what we can assume has been a few months, and still has not left beyond the gate. Here, we see Walt desperate and alone, trying to find peace and comfort in the van driver during his monthly visits. It’s a side of Walt we aren’t used to. We’re used to Walt being power hungry, but we see him in a state of weakness.

Walt finally finds a way into town, which we all knew was bound to happen eventually. He finds a payphone and discretely calls Flynn, who surprisingly told Walt off when Walt offered him money. Go Flynn! One of the few times he did something that the audience agrees with. Anyway, if we thought Walt was in a bad state before, this threw him over the edge. At this point, he’s given up. He calls the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) from the bar phone to have them find him. While sitting at the bar waiting for the DEA to arrive, he sees his old friends and business partners Elliot and Gretchen on TV being asked about him. She said two things in particular that really seemed to anger Walt. The first was that the only contribution Walt had to the company was the name and the second was that the blue meth, Walt’s signature formula, was still being sold. From this, Walt knows that Jack and his gang have not killed Jesse, since he is the only one besides Walt who knows how to cook it. By the time the cops showed up, Walter was already gone.

The best part about “Breaking Bad” is the fact that we are almost completely done with the series and yet viewers are still unsure as to what will happen. Even though we’ve seen a snapshot what is to come, we’re still left with the mystery of how it will happen. We know Walt is at a Denny’s on his 52nd birthday with a new car and more importantly a giant gun. We know that he goes back to his house in order to get the ricin that he had hidden away. While we want to guess about the future, there’s really no point because even if you’re close to right, “Breaking Bad” will take your prediction and completely turn it on its head. At this point, even though Walt and Jessie hate each other, it seems like they both share a common enemy whom they both hate more.

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Arts & Life Review Television

“Breaking Bad” leaves audience in anticipation

Ben Kaufman

Editor-in-Chief

WARNING: SPOILER ALERT. If you are not up to date on Breaking Bad, you should stop reading this piece now.

Just when you think that Breaking Bad was reaching points of no return and complete ridiculousness, Vince Gilligan takes your mind and plays with it just a little bit more.

It’s hard to say if is the most exciting episode of Breaking Bad this season, considering that every episode since its return a few weeks ago has kept me on edge more so than any other TV show. However, this episode brought along a new twist that I was not expecting. Before I get to the most important part of the episode (the ending), I want to touch on a few things that led us to that part.

First of all, Dean Norris as Hank has been outdoing himself this return. Hank started out beginning of the series as the classic jock character. He was the guy who was overly confident in everything he did. He was succeeding in his job at the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and he had a solid group of friends and a strong family bond. He had all the right to be cocky, and therefore one of the more annoying characters on the show. Especially when the viewer’s focus is meant to be on their sympathy for Walt, then Hank looks particularly worse in the beginning of the show because he comes off as an unlikeable guy. Now, however, Hank has been on his game. As much as I want to root for Walt as the protagonist of the story, the moral and ethical part of me wants Hank to succeed.

Now on to Jesse. He has been on an emotional roller coaster for this entire season. He essentially has nothing at this point. He lost Jane; he has no contact with his parents. He has Andrea and Brock to a certain extent. He has them in the sense that it is clear he still has some connection to them, but on screen that is very rare. But now, Jesse has been using any intelligence he can think of to try to outsmart Walt. Again, even though we are meant to root for Walt as the protagonist of the story, Jesse is a more appealing character. The fact that he has teamed up with Hank helps with our moral compass in that Jesse is prepared to do the right thing despite Walt’s approval.

Hank and Jesse had a great plan to get Walt too. Not surprising that they had such a smart plan, but still worth acknowledging on the writers part for their ability to create this story line. The part where Huell was shown the picture of Jesse was an incredible addition and well done on every part. It was a simple idea that brought together Walt’s biggest failure.

Walt fell into the trap. As unexpected as it is that Walt fell for it, Hank and Jesse’s plan was very well thought out and it makes sense that Walt would fall for it. It is unfortunate to see a character we loved so much in the beginning fall to such a level. His main redeeming quality of the episode was when he tried to call off Todd’s uncle from coming to kill Jesse. That was the Walt we once knew and loved. The Walt that we understood in the beginning of the series for getting into the cooking business in the first place.

Bryan Cranston, as usual, is phenomenal in this entire episode. Especially at the end, when you can truly see how torn Walt is between his personal safety and victory as opposed to that of his family. You can see how difficult that decision was for Walt to hang up the phone on Todd’s cousin. For the audience, this seemed like a redeeming quality for Walt. It reminds us that at his very core, Walt is a good human being. He wants what is best for his family, and did not want to destroy the family that he had already caused so much harm to.

After some minor banter between Walt, Jesse, Hank, and Agent Gomez, guess who comes to join the party? Todd, his uncle, and the entire gang of hitmen come as Walt had originally intended. At this point, Jesse and Walt are in their respective cars, and there is nothing that Walt can do because he is handcuffed in a car from which he cannot escape.

Naturally, the shooting begins. After a solid two minutes of just hearing gunfire, we are left to wonder about what will come next. Who is dead and who is alive? I think it’s obvious that Agent Gomez is dead. He didn’t serve much substance as a character, and it was be an easy cop out for the writers if he was killed off. Considering Gilligan and the rest of the writers really don’t like when people have a happy ending, it would be logical that Hank also ends up dead from the shooting. Also, in the event that Hank does die, the amount of drama to pursue from that is going to be ridiculous. How will Marie react? Will she try to console in Skyler, or flea away?

Assuming that, all that is left is Walt and Jesse. Walt is obviously alive, as we know from the moments they show us in the future. But is Jesse dead? On a personal level, I really hope not, because Jesse is one of my favorite characters. On a level that will create a lot of story and drama for the show, it is hard to tell what will come of Jesse’s character.

All I have to say is that Vince Gilligan continues to win at creating one of the best shows on TV, and I am excited to see what happens next week.

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Arts & Life Review

“Les Miserables” is an overwhelming extravaganza in both a good and bad way

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons Anne Hathaway plays Fantine in an award winning performance in "Les Miserables". She is the favorite for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Anne Hathaway plays Fantine in an award winning performance in “Les Miserables”. She is the favorite for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

 

Carolyn Williams

Senior Writer

Director Tom Hooper’s follow-up to his 2010 Best Picture “The King’s Speech” is the monumental movie-musical “Les Misérables.” The film, based on Victor Hugo’s seminal 19th-century novel and stage megahit, stars Broadway darling Hugh Jackman and Anne Hathaway, both of whom were nominated as Best Actor and Supporting Actress, respectively.

France, 1815. The story centers on Jean Valjean (Jackman), a paroled convict who is the victim of the period’s inhumane system of justice, his only crime being the theft of a loaf of bread. Valjean, realizing he will never receive fair treatment as long as he wears the scarlet letter of his past, reverts to criminality, robbing a kindly bishop. Confronted with the bishop’s pardon of his crime, Valjean makes a pledge to live his life for God.

Skip ahead 10 years. Valjean, having abandoned his real identity, has become a business owner in and mayor of a prospering industrial town under the false identity of M. Madeleine. One of his employees, Fantine (Hathaway), has an “unsavory” secret: she is the mother of an illegitimate child. When this information becomes public, she is fired and eventually forced into prostitution to support herself and her daughter, Cosette. She is arrested for prostitution by the brutal police inspector, Javert (Russell Crowe), but is saved at the last minute by the intervention of Valjean. Javert recognizes Valjean from his time on the chain gang and vows to bring him to the justice he escaped years before. Meanwhile, the dying Fantine secures Valjean’s promise to raise her daughter, and Valjean is faced with the moral dilemma of accepting the punishment for his crime or supporting the people who most need his help.

Fast-forward again, to Paris in 1832. Valjean and his grown-up ward, Cosette (Amanda Seyfried), are living comfortably in Paris under false identities. Javert continues to search for his escapee, and rebellion is brewing. A group of students–the Friends of the ABC–are stirring up the unhappy people (the eponymous “miserable ones”) to fight for a new French Republic. One of the young insurrectionists, Marius (Eddie Redmayne), sees and is taken by Cosette, and their ensuing involvement pulls Valjean into the culminating action of the barricade on which lines are drawn, scores are settled and final stands are made.

Hooper’s big selling point for “Les Misérables” was a new technique of live recording the film’s musical numbers, allowing the actors greater freedom of expression than permitted within the original rigidity of the musical’s score. The technique is effective, although diehard fans of the musical will be in for some differences in adaptation.

Hathaway’s performance has been unilaterally praised, particularly her delivery of Fantine’s broken “I Dreamed a Dream.” Jackman is, as ever, a strong leading man and proves himself more than equal to the challenges presented by such a demanding score. Some moviegoers had complaints about some of the supporting cast, though.

“Seyfried’s paper-thin performance was saved by the strength of Hathaway and Jackman,” Liz Walker ’14.

On the whole, fan reactions have been quite positive, although many critics have censured Hooper’s over-the-top style in this film, compared to the quieter power of “The King’s Speech.” “Les Misérables” is an overwhelming, overblown musical extravaganza, in both a good and bad way. Sure, it’s completely romanticizing a generally unimportant installment in a long series of 19th-century student rebellions, and yes, it does tend to sentimentalize a genuinely miserable group of people, all through the lens of Hugo’s middle class morality. At the end of the day (a shameless “Les Mis” pun I just couldn’t resist), it’s really a pretty fantastic story, and that’s what draws people back to “Les Misérables again and again.

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Arts & Life Movies Review

Spielberg does it again

 

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

By Carolyn Williams

Steven Spielberg’s latest film, “Lincoln,” has been billed as a biopic of monumental proportions. In reality, it’s not so much a biography of Lincoln himself as a pointed interpretation of the process of passing the controversial Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution.

It’s 1865. Fresh off his 1864 reelection, Lincoln (Daniel Day-Lewis), is keen to push the proposed Thirteenth Amendment through the House of Representatives before the end of the Civil War. Realizing that completely abolishing slavery will only fly if the South has not reentered the Union to fight against its being passed, Lincoln knows the clock is ticking. The longer the war goes on, the more Americans on both sides die, but he just needs a little longer to serve morality. But just to be sure things turn out the way they should, Lincoln hires men to ensure certain Democrats vote his way.

The reality of the devastation wreaked by the Civil War is underscored by the Lincoln family’s own precarious happiness. With one son dead of illness three years before, and another desperate to join the cause, Lincoln only takes time out of his dizzying schedule to be with his youngest boy, Tad, who brings comic relief to most of his scenes. But Lincoln’s wife, Mary Todd Lincoln (Sally Fields) creates more problems than she helps solve, as she tries again and again to violently demonstrate her grief over her dead son, and her steadfast opposition to allowing Robert (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), the eldest, to assert his independence by fighting for his father’s cause. Her dubious mental health clearly weighs heavily upon Lincoln, another burden for an already overburdened man.

But Lincoln manages to keep his troops smiling, both on and off the battlefield. Day-Lewis’s Honest Abe is a homespun scholar, delighting in the sharing and telling of silly, but always pertinent anecdotes, and the occasional quoting of Shakespeare or Pythagoras. Day-Lewis attempts to reconcile the massive shadow of one of American history’s greatest men with the reality of the fallible human he actually was. And his performance is genuinely spectacular.

“[‘Lincoln’ was] eccentric, though Daniel Day Lewis’s performance as Lincoln is powerful nonetheless. He is the Lincoln we hope existed, charming yet sagacious, the beneficent father of America,” Liz Walker ’14 said.

To be frank, Spielberg bends the truth a little with “Lincoln,” not that we wouldn’t expect the same of any director with this sort of a film. Such a beloved figure as Lincoln inspires total confidence in an American audience, and Spielberg takes full advantage of this general understanding of one of our favorite presidents. There’s a reason he’s on both the penny and the five dollar bill, after all. But even if “Lincoln” glosses over some of history’s more realistic reasons for the passing of the Thirteenth Amendment, it does make a concerted effort to act somewhat believably. When asked what he’ll think when African Americans have their freedom, Lincoln replies, “Well, I suppose I’ll get used to it.” And we, his fans, suppose he would have.

But all factual inaccuracies aside, “Lincoln” is a blockbuster for a reason; it’s fantastic to watch. With sparkling dialogue and a stellar cast, (particularly Tommy Lee Jones as the recalcitrant radical Thaddeus Stevens), “Lincoln” is a pleasure.

“Spielberg has done it again. ‘Lincoln’ took a historically powerful and intimate look at one of America’s favorite presidents. Recommend to all!” Emily Conners ’14 said.

Honestly, whether you’re a history buff or not, I can’t see many people disliking this movie; it’s just that good, and definitely one of this year’s strongest Oscar contenders.

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Arts & Life Books Review

“Anna Karenina” disappoints hopeful fans

 

Courtesy of Wikimedia CommonsKeira Knightley stars as Anna in "Anna Karenia".
Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Keira Knightley stars as Anna in “Anna Karenia”.

By Carolyn Williams

There were many reasons I was dying to see Joe Wright’s “Anna Karenina” adaptation this holiday season. One, it’s my favorite novel. Two, I love Tom Stoppard’s writing, and three, I really like Russian history. But more than anything, I figured that with such an epically awesome plot, what could really go wrong?

A lot of things went wrong.

The complex storyline of Tolstoy’s “Anna Karenina” has been reduced to a succinct two-hour run time, but most of the cuts are tastefully done. The film opens in Moscow on the marital troubles of Stiva (Matthew Macfadyen) and Dolly Oblonsky (Kelly Macdonald). Unfortunately, Stiva has been caught sleeping with the children’s governess and in swoops his sister, Anna (Keira Knightley), from the glittering cultural center of St. Petersburg, to reconcile the pair. Disinterested in her own marriage to the dull civil servant, Karenin (Jude Law), Anna quickly repairs the surface-level damage within one unhappy family. She is afterwards convinced to attend a ball, where Dolly’s little sister, Kitty, expects to be proposed to by the dashing young officer of the moment, Count Vronsky (Aaron Taylor-Johnson).

Meanwhile, Stiva’s best friend, the wholesome farmer, Levin, has come into Moscow for the express purpose of proposing to Kitty as well, only to find her interest completely dominated by Vronsky, who, in turn, is captivated by the sophisticated and aloof Anna. Our heroine arrives at the ball dressed daringly in black and completely steals Kitty’s frilly white thunder. One passionate dance seals the deal, which breaks Kitty’s heart and paves the way to Anna’s ruined reputation.

To describe “Anna” in three hundred words or less is criminal, but basically, Vronksy and Anna, once they’ve begun their affair, cannot be kept apart, and are forced to make brutal choices and undergo heartbreaking sacrifice, with their decisions informed by strict nineteenth-century Russian convention. As a woman, Anna is specifically condemned by her peers for doing publicly what everyone else does privately. One character puts things in perspective for the film’s modern audience, as she says “I’d call on her if she only broke the law, but she broke the rules.”

One might say Wright broke a couple of rules in making this film too, but not in a positive way. In an obvious attempt to distance himself from traditional literary adaptations, Wright has set the action of the film in a falling apart theatre and most of the scenes take place on stage or in the wings. Though the film is, at times, visually breathtaking, after the first hour, I couldn’t help but feel Wright was trying too hard. The choreographed movements of the extras certainly lend to the feeling of circumscribed social rules, but they simultaneously anesthetize much of the human flaw, which is so huge a part of the story.

It doesn’t help that Wright gets little support from his lead actors. Taylor-Johnson gives a wholly superficial performance as Vronksy and you almost feel bad watching Knightley try (and fail) to carry their whole romance herself. Maybe in a different version of this story, she could have given a better performance; I’m really not sure. Fortunately for everyone, McFayden’s Oblonksy delights us as he mischievously offers warm-hearted comic relief in spades.

The plot of “Anna Karenina” is moved largely by an undeniable love, but Wright has minimized that love almost beyond recognition. His film feels more like a story you know you’ve heard before, but somewhere along the line, someone who was only half-listening misinterpreted some critical information. But hey, if nothing else, at least it’s got a shot for Best Costumes this Oscar season, right?

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Arts & Life Campus Events Music Review

Lin and Svard honor Merce Cunningham through attention to both silence and notes

Laura Crowley
Writer

World renowned pianists Jenny Lin and retired University professor Lois Svard gathered a crowd of University students and members of the Lewisburg community for their piano duet, “For Merce” on the evening of Nov. 26 at 7:30 p.m. in the Rooke Recital Hall of the Weis Music Building. Despite the fact that many of the pieces were composed for just one piano, the two came together to create a more authentic sound, and to honor the choreographer and dancer, Merce Cunningham, after whom the performance was named.  In total, the night consisted of seven songs from composers who worked with Cunningham prior to his death in 2009.

Each piece was more unconventional than the former; the first piece was played from a composed graphic score, another was performed from images rather than notes and the last was composed electronically from the notes generated throughout the entire concert.

But, such an innovative performance was to be expected from Svard and Lin. Svard, who taught at the University until last year, is especially known for combining classical piano with new-age technology, such as multimedia, keyboard and microtonal tunings. Last year, Svard left the University to dedicate herself to the combination of classical piano and new technology. Most notably, she has been examining how neuroscience can be applied to music for listeners and performers. One of the songs played was composed when the composer observed his brain waves and imitated them musically.

Lin currently lives in New York City, where she serves on the faculty of the 92nd Street Y.  Her impressive resume includes more than 20 albums, with one that was selected as the Best of 2009 by the Washington Post. She has also performed in Carnegie Hall, the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Lin described one of the pieces played, “Music for Piano with Magnetic Strings,” as “music of chance.” She explained that “the clefs can be interpreted as treble or bass depending on how we feel,” so the outcome “depends on timing and the mood we’re in.”

This piece was played by touching the strings on the inside of the piano rather than by touching the keys.

Svard described Morton Feldmans’ piece, “Two Pianos” as a piece about “time and space.” Since none of the pieces played at the event had a melody, Svard stressed that the experience as an audience member is more about “listening to the texture, to the tambour, to how instruments interact with each other,” as well as “hearing the silences between the notes” and “how sounds overlap.”

The combination of classical and contemporary music offered the audience insight into the expanse of sounds pianos can create. While classical piano is limited in the sounds it produces, the integration of technology increases the sound potential for classical pianos.

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Arts & Life Columns Movies Review

Skyfall deemed one of the best Bond installments, a possible Oscar contender

Carolyn Williams

Writer

As the Bond franchise celebrates its 50th anniversary, director Sam Mendes delivers a terrific reboot to the series with “Skyfall.” Engaging, modern and lovingly self-referential, “Skyfall” is a definite contender as one of the best 007 movies of all time.

“Skyfall” opens, in traditional Bond fashion, in an exotic locale (Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar) as our hero (Daniel Craig), in all his perfectly tailored glory, knocks over some fruit carts in his attempt to catch the “bad guy”–in this case, he’s stolen a flash drive loaded with valuable information. Rooftop chases and a fight on a train ensue (Bond stopping to adjust a cuff link before reentering the fray); it’s all in a day’s work for 007–until it’s not. When the villain in question uses Bond as a human shield and his fellow agent cannot get a clean shot, M (Judi Dench), via earpiece, commands she take the shot, and Bond apparently dies.

Shockingly, 007 does not die 20 minutes into this film. While he’s presumed dead, some serious dilemmas arise at MI6. M is subjected to her new, deeply bureaucratic boss (Ralph Fiennes), who thinks it is about time she stepped down, and is seriously questioning the role of secret agents in an increasingly digital world. Shortly after this dressing down, M is made the target of a terrorist attack on MI6 itself, and is told to “think on her sins.” All this, and she has to write Bond’s obituary, too?

Happily, Bond returns to London soon enough, but this is a tired and aging Bond. Forced to retake his physical and mental exams, he scrapes by and returns to active duty, gunning for the cyber terrorist targeting M. With the help of the latest Bond girl, he finds the perversely amiable Silva (a blonde Javier Bardem) living on a creepily abandoned island. It turns out that Silva’s an ex-MI6 agent who has major Oedipal beef with M. In an exciting and somewhat expected plot twist, Silva is not so well-caught as MI6 had hoped, and both Bond and M must run for cover until they are able to face Silva on Bond’s home turf.

“Skyfall” is hands down the best action movie of the year, which is already saying something unusual about a Bond movie of late. This film is the rightful sequel to 2006’s “Casino Royale,” and firmly sets up Bond movies for years to come. (Let’s just pass over the blip that was “Quantum of Solace,” shall we?) A super-creepy Bardem is a terrific baddie–always a good sign in the world of 007 successes. With the help of fresh, new cast members (Ralph Fiennes, Naomie Harris, Ben Whishaw), this Bond screams 21st century, a place some weren’t sure he belonged. Specifically great is a sardonically nerdy Whishaw as the latest Q, who jokes, “What, were you expecting an exploding pen? We don’t really do that anymore.”

Although gone is Connery’s sarcastic, all-knowing Bond, Craig’s more realistically brutal performance is an easy second for best ever 007.

“A dynamic and vulnerable Daniel Craig comes of age in this action packed movie, making this Bond one of the best,” Ava Giuliano ’14 said.

The exuberant references to past adventures, witty script and the unexpected return of a certain Aston Martin DB5 make “Skyfall” one of the best Bond installments, and perhaps even a contender this Oscar season.

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Arts & Life Campus Events Review

The Fall Dance Showcase keeps audience engaged with a variety of styles, music and dancers

Anna Jones
Writer

The University may be well known for its Engineering program, but the Arts program is rich with opportunity, and is growing in popularity and success. On Nov. 9 and 10, in Harvey M. Powers Theater, the University Department of Theater and Dance presented the Fall Dance Showcase.

The Showcase involved more than 60 dancers from all around campus. Anyone could audition for the show, and then, if selected, they could be cast in up to three pieces. Choreographers included students, faculty and guests.

“The student choreographers were really great. It was inspiring to see how passionate they were about dance,” Rachel Fernandes ’16, a dancer in the show, said.

Guest choreographers included alumna Kourtney Ginn ’12 and Erin Rehberg. Ginn is currently working for Dance/USA, Adventure Theatre-MTC and Dance 4 Peace in the Washington, D.C. area. Rehberg is founder and artistic director of Core Project Chicago, a performing arts collective.

The Showcase choreographers are experts in a vast variety of techniques and styles, so the show featured almost every type of dance. The music ranged widely too, including pieces from David Guetta to Tchaikovsky to Bon Iver.

“The show was really a mix of everything–jazz, tap, ballet, contemporary, modern and even Irish,” Fernandes said.

“I really enjoyed the dance showcase because it showed a large variety of dances,” Eileen Cook ’16 said.

The show also included dance groups like the Lewisburg Dance Conservatory and students from Jazz I, Ballet I, Watersleeves and Social Dance classes. Two dancers from the Bisonettes were featured as well. Each number varied in size; some dances including eight or more dancers and some only featuring three.

Including a pre-show installment, the show featured 21 different numbers. The show was about two hours long with a short intermission.

“Everyone was saying that it gets better every year,” Fernandes said in response to how this year’s show compared to the shows in past years.

“Everyone was really talented, so it was really cool to see all those people that I knew from my classes in their element, performing really well,” Cook said.

Dancers enjoyed being a part of something so creative on campus.

“It was so fun being in a showcase here and meeting all the dancers at Bucknell,” Fernandes said.

With many guests at both shows, the Fall Dance Showcase was a huge success. Fernandes urges everyone to come out and audition for the Spring Showcase in April.

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Arts & Life Campus Events

Feinstein and Young share their poetry and experiences

Molly Ford
Writer

The Stadler Center for Poetry hosted a joint reading with Sascha Feinstein and C. Dale Young on the evening of Nov. 13 in Bucknell Hall. Both poets took turns reading a selection of their poetry for University faculty, students and guests. Earlier that day in Willard Smith Library, Feinstein spoke on jazz and memory, while Young talked about balancing artistic pursuits with a professional life in Walls Lounge. Their readings that night reflected these topics.

Feinstein’s work incorporates jazz in its patterns and form, and refers to other artists and their work. Through his poetry, Feinstein hopes to “express the lasting qualities of art.” Feinstein’s work puts the arts of jazz and poetry in conversation.

Young is an oncologist, as well as a poet and editor. During his faculty introduction, Young’s measured stanzas were described as “immaculate, well-structured rooms in which the reader walks.” He combines his experiences as a full time physician and his life as an artist in most of his poems. Young offers a unique point of view as he reveals the emotion and art behind a professional job in medicine.

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Arts & Life Movies Review

Based on a true story,”Argo” proves to be a successfully suspenseful off-season opener

Carolyn Williams
Writer

Ben Affleck’s latest directorial effort, “Argo,” tells the recently declassified story of a little known escape during the 1979 Iranian hostage crisis. Heavily hyped as being based on a true story, the actual events make for some pretty nail biting cinema.

The film opens on the hostile takeover of the United States Embassy in Tehran. As fear mounts and American employees hasten to destroy government records and batten down the embassy’s hatches, a group of six covertly escapes through the back door, taking refuge at the Canadian ambassador’s residence a few streets away.

As their fellow countrymen live as hostages, these six hide out in relative comfort for several months. The Canadians don’t want the responsibility anymore, and the Americans fear that if the Iranians find them, the escapees will be made into examples by public execution.

Enter Tony Mendez (Ben Affleck), a CIA staffer who specializes in “exfiltration;” basically he gets people out of dangerous situations. He immediately rejects the original escape plan: give the group six bikes, maps to the border and best wishes for their survival. As he’s brainstorming, Mendez chats with his son over the phone (he and his wife are estranged, another reason for the audience to sympathize) and has an epiphany–what if they were a film crew?

Given the late-70s trend for science fiction movies, Mendez decides that one of the most far-fetched (and therefore least suspicious) ways of exfiltrating these citizens is to pass them off as a Canadian film crew looking for an exotic location to film the next Star Wars rip-off. What’s even more unbelievable than this plan is the fact that the CIA okayed it.

To make the film seem legit, Mendez goes to Hollywood where he contacts John Chambers (John Goodman), a prosthetics designer who has worked with the CIA in the past. They begin spreading the buzz about their upcoming film–they choose a film called “Argo”–but things don’t really get going until they have their producer, played hilariously by Alan Arkin, who proclaims that if he’s going to make a fake movie, “it’s going to be a fake hit.” Once all the groundwork has been laid in stateside, there’s nothing left for Mendez to do but carry it out.

Once again, Affleck proves that as a director, he’s got chops. The real-life story is so outlandish that it’s automatically the stuff of good cinema. Kendall Woods ’14 called the film “better than I anticipated.” Affleck does slip into some bad Hollywood habits by exaggerating some of the escape sequences, and perhaps the denouement is overly indulgent, but most of the movie is interesting, tense and emotionally involved. Though probably not much of a contender come Oscar time, “Argo” is not too shabby for an off-season opener.